Kim Nam-gil

Beginnings

Kim began his acting career on television with a minor role in the 1999 KBS youth drama School 1.^[2] Four years later, he passed the 2003 Talent Audition conducted annually by MBC, and appeared in various minor roles on the network's shows, such as Be Strong, Geum-soon!.^[3] During this time, he was using the stage name Lee Han, which he made up to avoid confusion with Kang Nam-gil, another Korean actor with a similar name, and to give himself a more sophisticated image.^[4] In the following years he took on more supporting roles in television dramas, among them Goodbye Solo,^[5] Lovers,^[6] and When Spring Comes.^[7] Kim debuted on the big-screen in 2004 gangster movie Low life. In 2006, he made the bold decision to portray a homosexual character in the controversial queer indie No Regret in a role which included several gay sex scenes.^[8] The film was critically praised and traveled the film festival circuit, being shown among others in the Panorama section of the 57th Berlin Film Festival. He was then cast in 2008's Public Enemy Returns, where he worked with the actor Jung Jae-young.^[9] Kim had stated in interviews that Jung Jae-young, who attended the same high school he did, had been his role model as an actor. Upon the influence of the film's director Kang Woo-suk (but against the advice of his agent and manager^[4]), Kim stopped using the stage name Lee Han and reverted to his birth name.^[10] Later that year, he played his first leading role in a major commercial film, Portrait of a Beauty.^[11] Though his co-star Kim Min-sun garnered most of the attention for the erotic costume drama, Kim's strong performance did not go unnoticed.^[12]

Breakthrough and rising popularity

In 2009, Kim was cast as one of the supporting characters in the historical drama Queen Seondeok, in a role that would soon change his life. It became one of the highest-rated TV series of that year (reaching a peak of over 40%^[13]), and Kim became a household name and the series' breakout star.^[14] For his portrayal of the playful but tragic Bidam, Kim said he was inspired by comic book characters such as Han Bi-kwang in Ruler of the Land, Miyamoto Musashi in Vagabond, and Kang Baek-ho in Slam Dunk. The writers rewrote the script to respond to Bidam's popularity with the viewing audience, giving the character more screen time and emphasizing his romance with the titular Seondeok (despite the incredible historical inaccuracy), until there were two main male leads in the series.^[15][16][17] A horse-riding-related injury on set,^[18] and a brief hospitalization due to H1N1 flu,^[19] were minor negatives compared to the impact the series had on Kim's career. He won several awards for his performance, gained more local and international fans,^[20][21] received advertisement offers, and was flooded with film and TV scripts.

Another side benefit of Kim's popularity resulting from the Seondeok was the theatrical release in 2010 of his indie Lovers Vanished,^[4][22] a relationship drama which the director described as a "Korean Leaving Las Vegas."^[23] In 2010 he played an antihero lead role in Bad Guy, a dark melodrama about revenge, ambition, and fatal love.^{[24][25][26][27][28]} But while still in the middle of filming, Kim received his draft notice for mandatory military service.^[29] He tried to ask for deferment in order to wrap up the shoot for the series, but it was not granted.^[30] Kim shot as much as he could (his scenes were reduced, and a body double was also used) then entered the army two days later on July 15, 2010. He received four weeks of basic training at Nonsan, and served for two years as a public service worker.^[31]

Following his discharge from the army in 2012,^[32] Kim produced the film Ensemble, a music mockumentary about a group of classical musicians who form a group and take to the streets to perform outside their usual concert halls, showing their youthful passion in making music accessible. It premiered at the Jecheon International Music & Film Festival.^[33] He was also one of four celebrities in 2013 who directed a short film using smartphone Samsung Galaxy S4 with the theme "Meet a Life Companion"; his short Hello, Mom depicted the love between a mother and her daughter, and evoked the warm feeling of an analog film.^[34] This was followed by the 2014 period adventure film The Pirates, which reunited him with Shark costar Son Ye-jin.^[35][36] In 2013 Kim starred in the revenge TV series Shark (also known as Don't Look Back), from the makers of Resurrection and The Devil.^[37][38] He next starred opposite award-winning actress Jeon Do-yeon in the 2015 thriller The Shameless; Kim played a detective who falls for the girlfriend of the murderer he is investigating.^[39] The Shameless had its world premiere at 2015 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section.^[40] Nam Gil was next cast as powerful nobleman Heungseon Daewongun whose concubine takes up pansori in the period film The Sound of a Flower.^[41]

Critical and commercial success

In 2016, Kim starred in disaster blockbuster Pandora portraying the aftermath of an explosion in a nuclear plant.^[42] Pandora premiered internationally at the International Film Festival and Awards Macao,^[43] receiving standing ovation. In 2017 Kim starred in the action thriller Memoir of a Murderer and romance drama film One Day.^[44][45] In 2019, Kim starred in the comedy film The Odd Family: Zombie On Sale.^[46] In 2020, Kim starred in the horror film The Closet.^[47]

In 2017, he starred in the time-slip medical drama Live Up to Your Name.^[48] In 2019 he headlined the comedy crime drama The Fiery Priest as a hot tempered priest.^[49] It was the first drama to air on Fridays and Saturdays on SBS and was well received by viewers, seeing a rapid rise in ratings and ending at a peak of 22%.^[50] Kim earned a Best Actor nomination at the 55th Baeksang Arts Awards, and went on to win eight awards for his performance including the Grand Prize (Daesang) at the 2019 SBS Drama Awards.^[51]

In 2022, Kim returned to the small screen with the SBS drama Through the Darkness as a criminal behavior analyst, which was his return to terrestrial television in three years,^[52] excluding Kim as a special appearance in the drama, SBS's One the Woman in which he appeared to support one of his previous co-star Lee Ha-nee.

In 2025, Kim starred in Netflix's action thriller television series Trigger wherein he portrayed Lee Do, a former military sniper turned police officer investigating the illegal firearms trade.^[53][54] In the same year, Kim starred in the neo-noir crime thriller film Nocturnal marking the second time he acted alongside Ha Jung-woo working with the 2020 film The Closet.^[55][56]

Philanthropy

In January 2010, He went to Indonesia to do volunteer work at the recommendation of those around him. Kim was shocked by the lack of basic necessities he encountered during a relief trip with an MBC camera crew. He felt the camera's presence undermined his sincerity, and the PD advised him to use his popularity to draw more participation in the efforts. This experience led Kim to believe relief work should be more systematic, as short-term visits could leave people feeling empty or alone again. Kim discussed plans for "future work" that would not just provide immediate aid, but more importantly, instill in the people a belief that "they are not alone" - a fundamental approach he felt was more helpful than temporary relief.^[61]

In March 2012, Namgil Kim founded the cultural arts NGO Gilstory. It was officially established on April 8, 2013 and registered in Seoul in as a non-profit private organization with the goal of contributing to society through various cultural arts campaigns.^[62]

It was an organization he established after experiencing several overseas relief activities since 2010 and thinking about more sustainable social contribution activities. Gilstory has over 100 diverse experts including writers, painters, composers, photographers, IT experts, lawyers, accountants, and translators working pro bono (professionals in each field helping the socially disadvantaged).^[61]

In July 2024, Kim, has announced the launch of its 'Together' campaign to discover and support creators from aging out youth.^[a] The campaign aims to provide creative opportunities and artistic activity support to help these aging out youth achieve emotional independence, despite social and economic challenges. Gilstory is partnering with KB Kookmin Bank to sponsor creative funds and mentorship for talented young artists in the cultural arts field. Completed works will be publicly showcased, and the collaboration with the bank, which has consistently supported aging out youth, is especially meaningful in laying the groundwork for the economic independence of these young creators.^[64]

Film

Television series

Television shows

Music video appearances

Hosting

State honors

Listicles